Programmed August 2022

Three Starring Anna May Wong

The first Chinese American movie star, a Jazz Age style icon, and an undeniably magnetic screen presence, Anna May Wong both defied the prejudices of her time and languished under them, charting a trailblazing career at a time when Asian characters were still typically played by white actors in yellowface, while often finding herself reduced to “exotic” and stereotypical roles unworthy of her talents. Nevertheless, her cool glamor elevated every project she appeared in, as seen in this selection of films from her heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, including her finest on-screen hour, Piccadilly , an ultrastylish silent sizzler and one of a string of films that Wong made in England and Europe, where she found the kind of serious dramatic roles that had eluded her in Hollywood.